How to swap Fn and Ctrl keys while connecting external keyboard to laptop

Question

I am using Dell Latitude 3470 laptop which has Ctrl key on the left most corner and Fn key next to Ctrl key (CtrlFn) .

But I am using Belkin K100 keyboard which has Fn key on the left most corner and Ctrl key next to Fn key (FnCtrl).

I need to use the machine always with same keyboard layout (CtrlFn), the laptop one.

OS : Windows 8.1

Answer 1

This is 100% not possible.

Except of re-wiring the keyboard.

Details: Fn key is never visible to operating system as a generic key, even on built-in keyboards. And vice versa, Windows has no support of it. Therefore, do not expect any software trick to do the job.

Lenovo laptops allow swapping the two keys on built-in keyboard, but it is done on BIOS level, without operating system knowing about that.

External keyboards like your K100 therefore do not transfer Fn key press at all. It is strictly local to the keyboard itself with these typical functions:

• changing regular keys to other regular keys (without computer knowing that Fn key was used) – e.g. F3 → Volume+

• doing special local functionality on keyboard

  • light LED indicating battery status (Logitech keyboards)
  • turn off/on all other keys (Fn+F11 on your keyboard)
  • switch backlight on/off etc.

Now you know. Fn key position has to be taken into consideration before purchasing the (external) keyboard, nothing except physical rewiring can be done about it later. Of course that rewiring is only hypothetical, it is not worth the effort.